"Don't call it a comeback. I've been here for years," declares Whitney Houston on her six studio CD, I Look to You. And in a sense, she's right. In the seven years since her prior release Just Whitney, Houston has never left the public's eye. Her 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer sent shock-waves throughout the tabloid media with the now infamous line "Let's get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack." Her reality show Being Bobby Brown debuted on Bravo in 2005 and showed Houston at odds with her then husband Bobby Brown. The two divorced in 2007 after years of alleged physical and verbal abuse on Brown's part. Whitney Houston, in 2009, told media sources she wanted to move to an island and retire, and who could blame her? Luckily for fans and casual listeners of the six-time Grammy award winning singer, she accepted an invitation from long-time friend Clive Davis to record a thoroughly enjoyable adult R&B CD in I Look to You.
The old school flavored "Million Dollar Bill" opens the 11 track set with a 70s, soul vibe sure to leave a lasting first impression. Produced by Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys, the song opens with a Issac Hays-like guitar riff that could've been from the movie Shaft. Houston, on the album's first vocal note, soars with a powerful reminder that she can still hold her own in the studio. On "A Song for You", a Leon Russell ballad, Houston revamps a song she's been covering since the early 90s into a disco number. Although she's no longer able to reach those stratosphere notes from her prime, Houston uses all she's got to deliver a gritty, respectable effort.
A recurring theme throughout I Look to You is perseverance, and considering the personal set-backs Houston suffered over the past few years, the diva has a lot to sing about. She addresses the so-called "haters" throughout the album, particularly on the track "Nothin' But Love" where she confesses "Shout out to anyone who tried to hate on me / ... even the one´s who tried to break me / Even the one´s who tried to take me down." On "For the Lovers", a song dedicated to, as Houston put it, "anyone who believes in love", the diva speak-sings "to all the haters in the place / I ain't singing to you." The song, with its throbbing base, is practically a descendant of the "It's Not Right, But It's Ok" Thunderpuss Remix. The album's closer, the anthemic "Salute", penned by R. Kelly, addresses Houston's past relationships as she sings "I can do better / You say i'll never do better / Yeah right, whatever."
The ballads on I Look to You are the album's low point. With Houston's voice now a hoarse, aged semblance of her Bodyguard glory days, what may work and work well for her on dance and mid-tempo tracks, doesn't on ballads. Houston deserves to be applauded for not using any auto-tune device for the heart-felt, intimate tracks "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" and "I Look to You", but such a raw, stripped down format focuses too much attention on the flaws in Houston's struggling voice. She enlists the famed songwriter Diane Warren for "I Didn't Know My Own Strength", which continues the recurring theme of self-empowerment on I Look to You. The song was given a performance on Oprah in 2009 and was one of the first to be released to the public. The title track, one of five songs written or produced by R. Kelly on the album, boasts a slightly better vocal delivery than "I Didn't Know My Own Strength." Houston finds herself at her most sincere and emotionally vulnerable here. She sings:
After all that I've been through
Who on earth can I turn to?
........................................
When all my strength is gone
In you I can be strong
I look to you.
The slow jam "Worth It" takes cues from Whitney Houston's 1999 hit "Heartbreak Hotel". Filled with numerous sassy, one-liners, "Worth It" is sure to be a staple on quiet storm radio stations or for after-hour club play. For the second verse, Houston delivers the album's most clever lyrics. She quips:
Some people feel it -- they let it show
Some people miss it -- they let it go
Some people doubt it -- Imma tell you now,
They don't know a thing about it
That's why they doubt it.
The line "I know somebody's gonna make love to this song tonight," is sure to get a roar out of a crowd if performed live.
"Like I Never Left", the first track to be leaked on the internet, is also the only track to feature another vocalist. Akon, the track's producer and feature singer, was contacted by Whitney Houston to write a song similar to "My Love is Your Love", her 1998 mid-tempo hit, and to give the song an "island" feel. "Like I Never Left", although pleasant, doesn't hold up to any of Houston's old hits (or Akon's for that matter), but is still a soothing addition to I Look to You. Akon's other produced track, "I Got You", does a better job of rivaling "My Love Is Your Love", as it sees Houston confidently taking a stand on the strength of love. She sings, righteously:
When your love is strong
And it comes from the heart
Ain´t no man strong enough
Ain´t no time long enough
To tear it apart.
My personal favorite, aside from "Million Dollar Bill", is "Call You Tonight". With its light lyrics, production, and subject matter, the song is a welcome departure from the more adult themes found throughout the album. Houston meets a potential lover or friend and promises to call him as soon as she gets home. On the song's climax, she sings, "So if you wanna know / Then stay by the phone / Stay by the phone."
Whitney Houston's six studio album serves as another soundtrack to a movie in which Houston plays the lead role. And no, we're not talking The Bodyguard or The Preacher's Wife, but the blockbuster that has been Whitney Houston's life over the past seven years. Her triumphant return to the music world may not be perfect, but it's certainly enough to add weight to her already iconic legacy.
